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The
following are some of the questions we have heard from our visitors. We will
try to give you as concise an answer as possible. To get help with more questions
you may have, as well as In-depth answers and a plan to follow, please download
or order your copy of RV Buyers Survival Guide.
A: You've already got a good start by visiting us; we are the only site dedicated to covering the A-Z's of the buying process. The web is filled with an overload of information about RVs for sale and the lifestyles of RVers. So much, in fact, it can be mind- boggling, especially if you are new to RVing. In our 'freebies' section you will find a list of 100+ RV manufacturers, who combined produce several hundred brands of RVs, in all of the individual types and styles. Click on any one of them and get started in determining what is available.
A: If you are new to RVs, you must first ask yourselves what you will require from a RV today throughout the time that you will own it? To help you and your traveling partner figure this out, we have included a preview of the page "Customer Preference Worksheet" from the RV Buyers Survival Guide. (See preview) Print it out, take a few moments to sit down and fill it in. This first step will help you in determining the functions of the RV you need. This will start directing you to one of the many different types available, class A, Fifth wheel trailer, ECT.
A: There really
aren't that many, only nine basic "Types" of RVs. There are, however, hundreds of brands
to choose from, determined simply by customer preference.
The first deciding factor to focus upon is "Type". Once this
evaluation has been made, you
can quickly start narrowing down the brand that makes the most sense to meet your needs, as pertains
to function, cost, etc. Think in terms of a funnel. We have 7 info-packed pages
in The Guide describing
these "types" and their functions applied to you expectations and
requirements.
A: Easy? No. Easier, yes. This is where the real work (or fun) comes into play.
After you have selected the type, you must look at brands. First, apply your
thought-funnel to narrow down the masses. After that, the easiest way is to
use a spread sheet format, as shown in the guide. This will allow you to look
at the serious contenders for your investment dollars in an apples to apples
format. By doing this you will determine which brands offer the best value
for monies spent. You will quickly see that often a low price is a reflection of
an omitted feature in a particular brand, not because the manufacturer is overly generous. If these
omitted features are not important to your needs, that's fine. Just be
conscious of what is or is not there. You don't
want to find out after you've made a purchase that it won't do what you wanted
it to do. Buying the RV that doesn't meet your needs down the road is the most
costly, and most frustrating, mistake you can make.
A: This is where your buying plan will be put to the test. After you decide what you want, go check it out. The trial against your plan and homework will come when you arrive at the RV dealership, generally in the salesperson endeavoring to put you into a unit that they make the best profit on, completely unbiased as to your selection. You must first have a good grasp of the selling process and what the methods of operation are at a dealership. This is what our survival guide is all about - "Inside" information.. The alternative to knowing is learning while you shop. But remember: you do this every few years, they do this for a living.
A: Yes. Obviously we don't know what you're looking at, so we can't give you a specific
answer in the guide. We do, however, explain how manufactures figure the MSRP.
(Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price) By understanding this minor piece of
math, and the cost dealers
figure into selling price over their actual cost you can get a real number to
help determined the value of units you may be contemplating. Additionally, we
offer as a service, Work
A Deal. This allows us to provide you
our professional opinion on what you should pay based on the information requested.
(See homepage) Whether on new or pre-owned.
A:
As part of our free information exchange, we have included a link to the NADA
RV Appraisal Guide on our homepage. This will allow you to look up the value
of your trade-in. We also cover in great depth in our guide how a dealer looks
at your trade-in as to decide what they will "put into" your trade as opposed
to what they will "show you" for your trade. Again, to allow you to work directly
with us on trade price involving a trade we offer our Work
A Deal, whether you are looking at new or pre-owned.
A: Again, as part of our free information exchange, we have included a free payment
calculator for you to use on our homepage. By plugging in a price, the months
you want to finance and a rate, you can get a good ballpark price of what your
payments would be. Possibly the best place to kick off beginning rates and terms (months) might
be your bank or credit union. They will be happy to give you the parameters
which they loan by, and give you a benchmark to work with. Please remember that
loan amount will generally not included extras like taxes, plates, or insurance.
A:
Not necessarily. Dealers transact with many lenders on financing specifically
RVs.
Often dealers can get you longer terms than your lender, which will help
you buy more RV. Which may mean not settling for less than you want or need. Additionally,
many times the RV lenders or the manufacturer will
have special finance rates for a particular time or event. There is, however,
much you should be aware of before blindly walking into a dealer's finance department, preparations you should be aware of,
and precautions you can take.
A:
Documentation. Most dealerships and sales people are not out
to get you or get over on you. However, the negotiating phase is generally not
something that happens in five minutes, It starts when you settle on a unit.
Much talking precedes a deposit to buy. Human nature
is such that we don't always hear how something was actually said, or our perception of
expectations. Before you sign a buyer's order (intent to purchase), have the
sales person go over all you expect at time of delivery. Once this is committed
in writing to the buyer's order you can continue the negotiating. This can take
a few extra minutes, but will be well worth the time spent rather than having
expectations unfulfilled at the time you receive delivery. Always review the unit
at the time of delivery, prior to final signing to make sure all is as stated.
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